Australian Open: Novak Djokovic defeats Jannik Sinner in 5-set epic, reaches final

He reached his first Australian Open final the hard way, winning 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 in 5 hours, 27 minutes. It was the longest match of the tournament so far, and the longest semifinal ever at the Australian Open — surpassing the 2009 classic between Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco.

That’s despite him being two points away in the third set from a semifinal victory in a tournament where he hadn’t dropped a set through five rounds. When he led by two sets, Alcaraz appeared to be in the kind of form that won him the U.S. Open last year and helped him evenly split the last eight majors with Jannik Sinner.

After a medical timeout for treatment on his upper right leg, though, Alcaraz’s footwork wasn’t up to his usual standard. He said initially it didn’t feel like cramping because the pain seemed to be just in one muscle, the right adductor, and he needed an assessment.

He navigated the third and fourth sets and was behind in the fifth after dropping serve in the first game. But he kept up the pressure and didn’t break back until Zverev was serving for the match in the 10th. He won the last four games.